Proof That Obama is a Lousy Horse Trader

Only one US cargo flown to Afghanistan via Russia

MOSCOW, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The United States has so far sent only one shipment of supplies through Russian airspace to its troops in Afghanistan since Moscow and Washington agreed a transit deal in July, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

The White House had said the deal on transit of troops, supplies and weapons, which was struck when President Barack Obama visited Russia, would allow up to 4,500 flights a year and save up to $133 million a year in transit costs.

Back on September 20th, I wrote about the issue here.

I was reading an article from The New York Times and this jumped out at me:

Although the White House denied that its decision was made to curry favor with the Kremlin, it took some satisfaction in comments by Russian leaders suggesting more flexibility. Obama advisers pointed to a few specific areas where they have won concessions from other countries. Russia, for example, has agreed to a framework for nuclear arms cuts and gave permission for American troops to fly to Afghanistan through its airspace.